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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Human curiosity is something that won't be denied. It takes humans to the most dire locations possible and all for a variety of different reasons. Typically though, those locations offer their own surprises, as in Orision #1-3. The first issue is written by Bradley Golden, illustrated by Ugur Sertcelik and lettered by Chris Allen. The second issue is written by Golden, illustrated by Matt Santorelli and lettered by Allen. The third issue is written by Golden and Nick Philpott, illustrated by Santorelli and lettered by Allen.
There's a mountain named the Shishapangma, which is one of the most dangerous and forbidden mountains in the world. That doesn't stop curiosity though, as an intrepid group of adventurers ascended the mountain for whatever reason. Turns out there's more on the mountain than just snow, wind and cold. A terrifying creature has made the mountain its residence and will stop at nothing to ensure that terror stays a part of the weather forecast.

Each issue is about ten pages long, yet all three feel that they could have been combined into one issue. Each issue seems like a couple of random scenes that are all loosely tied together by both the mountain and one of the people on the mountain, a woman who apparently has a few suitors. There are some pacing issues throughout and the story itself is fairly convoluted and confusing. The reason why the first set of explorers are on the mountain in the first place is very hazy and the second group's trip there seems solely because one of the new travelers knows the aforementioned woman. Other than though, why they're there and what else is there is a big mystery, but in more of a confusing way than anything else.

The art in the first issue relies very heavily on shading and some awkward facial expressions on many of the characters. The final image of the creature looks like a cross between Venom and an octopus, leaving little clues as to its origins and method of survival. The second and third issues feature a new art team and the difference is noticeable. It maintains the black and white look, but is much heavier on the cross-hatching and makes the book feel like a reboot of the series as a whole. The panel layouts in all three issues are pretty mundane all things considered and it really looks to be very by-the-book so to speak.

Orision #1-3 offers a pretty interesting premise that capitalizes on a familiar story like Alien. The biggest problem is that the story feels very confusing and paced pretty inconsistently. There's something of a disconnect between the first and second issues as the two feel disjointed. The one connection the books share is a little odd as well, hinging very carefully on one female character who has ties to the two groups. The different art styles don't help the books, as there's visible differences between the books that make the latter two issues feel more like a different story altogether. Orision #1-3 could be something more intriguing if the basics are addressed, such as dialogue, pacing and cohesion.